Yesterday I posted about the fake New York Times demonizing Israel (even more than the real one), which was distributed to 10,000 New Yorkers, and disseminated to many more through a website and social media accounts.
The site has since been taken down, and the Facebook page and Twitter account suspended, probably due to complaints from the NY Times.
As I asked at the time:
Given the slick website and 10,000 print copies of the paper, once can assume a lot of money went into this. The question is who is behind this, and who is funding it?
Heeding my call, reader Bob uncovered some interesting things.
Firstly, before the site was taken down, he noticed one of the writers was someone called Talia Baurer.
https://twitter.com/tbaurer/status/694571484791074817
https://twitter.com/tbaurer/status/694642916535439360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
She seems to be affiliated with Jewish Voice for Peace, attending the JVP national membership meeting last year.
https://twitter.com/tbaurer/status/576526655373602816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Next, we see this petition page set up by JVP, which shows how the NY Times coverage of the conflict is something with which they are really unhappy.
And their NY chapter posted this “breaking news” on Facebook.
https://www.facebook.com/JVPNY/posts/1044095075655420
JVP is apparently well funded, and could presumably pull of this stunt from a financial feasibility point of view.
I think JVP’s possible involvement into this needs to be investigated, and if found to be the case, appropriate action taken against them.
Update: More indications pointing towards JVP’s possible involvement here: both the fake NY Times website (now taken down) and the JVP website use the same Internet Service Provider (ISP) New Dream Network (hat tip: Judge Dan)
Update: I was partially correct.
No group immediately took credit for the action on Tuesday, while reports filled the media.
Jewish Voice for Peace — New York and Jews Say No! informed Salon that they had organized the protest. The former is the local branch of Jewish Voice for Peace, or JVP, an American human rights and social justice organization that challenges the Israeli government’s continued violence against and oppression of the indigenous Palestinian people. Jews Say No! is a New York City-based peace group that, like JVP, protests Israel’s illegal 48-year occupation of the Palestinian territories and periodic heavy bombing of Gaza.
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Throughout the past few months, JVP and Jews Say No! meticulously designed the fake four-page New York Times newspaper and website. They assembled more than 20 people and created an editorial team dedicated to creating top-quality, wittily written, fact-checked coverage.
